North and South Magazine reviews Faces

The July issue includes a fine review by Harold Holzer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Holzer, an authority on Abraham Lincoln and the politics of the Civil War era, has authored more than twenty books and hundreds of articles. He writes about Faces: "Coddington had the ingenius idea of reconstructing the stories of those who usefully autographed their photos and, even better, listed their regiments." To read the full article: http://www.facesofwar.com/northsouth.htm.

First Confederate descendant

Last week I spoke with Joe Ramsey of Dothan, Alabama. He is the great grandson of Capt. David Wardlaw Ramsey of the First Alabama Artillery, a veteran officer who was twice a prisoner. He spent five months in 1862 at Johnson's Island in Ohio after he and the bulk of his regiment were compelled to surrender after the siege of Island No. 10. Less than a year after his exchange, he was sent back to Johnson's island after the fall of Port Hudson, Louisiana. Capt. Ramsey's story is compelling, and thanks to his passionate great grandson, Joe, his memory has been preserved in the form of an unpublished article. Joe was kind enough to send hs writing to me, with other documents, including a single surviving letter written by Capt. Ramsey shortly after the surrender at Island No. 10. The letter, along with others written by his fellow prisoners, were not delivered until 1929, when a mailbag was found with the unposted letters!